Worth the Wait
by Roguie
Summary: It's been a year, one entire year that she's spent alone on a strange planet in a strange time, trying to get by.  He's coming back for her, she can feel him, and she waits.  Rose/10, one shot with M rated addendum posted separately.


**A/N: Seems my muse is back and in full force; this is one hell of a lot longer than my normal one shots, and comes inclusive with a M rated addendum you'll find posted separately. I know the whole things been done a hundred times before, but y'know what? I haven't done it so now I am. Please read and review, my muse needs it to thrive - reviews = love, love = happy Rose/Doctor fluff, no reviews = In Silence, Prayer.**

**Disclaimer: I so obviously don't own Doctor Who; I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue, my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.**

Worth the Wait

By Danae Bowen

It started early in the morning. She woke up with it, just there, a slow burning in her mind that began creeping out and overtaking her consciousness. Four words reverberated in the heat that flowed through her, four simple words that rendered her lesser bodily functions useless as her heart stalled suddenly and then began beating out a rhythm so rapidly she thought for a moment her chest would explode.

"I'm coming for you."

For the first morning in over a year, Rose Tyler smiled.

~~~3

The worst day of her life was the day they found that impossible planet. The day the Doctor went down into the pit. The day the planet exploded, that she killed Toby and the day she sailed off with two strangers, leaving all hope behind of finding the Doctor and the TARDIS to take her home.

They'd dropped her off at the nearest human inhabited planet and she'd given Danny a sad kiss on the cheek as he'd apologised to her. She'd tried to reassure him; it wasn't his fault that she and the Doctor had landed there. It wasn't his fault the Doctor ventured down to the surface and into the pit. It wasn't his fault she'd never see her mum or her home again. It certainly wasn't his fault that all her childish dreams were killed with the Doctor when the planet exploded. She smiled sadly. It was no more his fault than her own that even though they'd saved her life, she left the part of her that truly lived somewhere deep and dark, tumbling helplessly into the gaping maw of a giant black hole.

So, she existed. Got a flat, got a roommate, got a job and got on with it.

This morning she called in sick to the shop in which she pedaled expensive jewellery. She jumped into the shower and found herself singing a happy tune as she lathered up her long hair, rinsing it out with an enthusiasm she'd forgotten she'd possessed.

"I'm coming for you."

Oh, she knew it could be anything; some evil telepathic creature threatening her, her subconscious playing cruel tricks on her, but when it came down it, only one man had ever been capable of sending such warmth through her entire being. Her eyes danced, her cheeks were flushed pink and even as she threw on a clean pair of jeans, her favourite yellow tank top, socks and shoes, she began throwing necessities into bags, dropping them by the door for quick access.

She was still braiding her hair into dual pony tails as she bounced down the stairs and into the kitchen, grinning at her roommate David and his girlfriend, Sarah. Both blinked in surprise as she burst into the room, accustomed to her rather miserable morning routine on top of the broken hearted existence she'd been leading.

"Well, would you look at that; one would reckon that after a year we might be having a look at the real Rose Tyler." David winked at her even as he moved through the kitchen to pour her a cup of tea. "So, slightly quirky roommate, why the sudden bout of life?"

She grinned; it was a wicked, smart grin that showed all the life she'd held inside for a year. She grabbed David and hugged him tight, taking the tea from his grasp as she spun in place to watch out their window and down their driveway.

"He's coming for me!" she whispered, eyes dancing brilliantly. As a new flood of warmth spread from her mind, down her spine to settle in her heart, tears crystallized the shining joy she radiated. "And he's close!"

~~~3

Hours passed, she paced.

David brought her tea at two in the afternoon, it cooled untouched on the table.

Sarah brought her a sandwich at five in the evening. The lettuce withered before she even realized it was there.

The sun went down. People returned home from work. The day ended but still she waited.

David and Sarah slipped off to bed around midnight, leaving Rose staring out the living room window, ears strained for any evidence of the TARDIS' arrival Somewhere in the long hours of the morning she nodded off, sleeping fitfully in a chair, still facing the open window.

~~~3

"It's been a week, Rose. I'm not saying give up, but give the bloke a chance to get here. Go to work. Go to the beach. Just go do something, already!"

David didn't intend the tone of his voice to be quite so sharp; he winced as she cast an unbelievably cold glare in his direction.

"Give him a chance? He's had all the chances in the universe! He's had four hundred and twenty seven days and nine hours worth of chances!"

"Jesus, Rose, you've been counting hours?" David swallowed with difficulty, shocked at Rose's sudden viscous outburst focussed on the Doctor.

"Counting hours, minutes, days, sometimes seconds. He does that to you, the Doctor. He makes you wait, makes you need him. Every beat of my heart is one beat closer to him, yeah? He said he's coming. He'll be here." She paused, shrugging simply. "He promised that he would never leave me behind."

David shook his head slowly. "Rose, things get in the way of promises. Accidents, illness, things no one can foresee, not even your Doctor."

She thought briefly of Reinette, Madame de Pompadour, of the life she'd led waiting for the Doctor's return until one day it had been too late. She thought of Sarah Jane Smith, never able to move on with her life until her last encounter with the Doctor when she finally stopped waiting. How many others stood waiting at windows, praying to hear the TARDIS' old engines grinding away, signalling the Time Lord's return.

"He needs me, y'know? Hasn't got anyone to save him from himself if he leaves me behind.

"Rose," David begin, but the look Rose flashed him stopped him cold.

"He couldn't say the words, David… Ida said, but he knew I would understand. He's coming and I gotta be here when he does, cause there's some things nothing can get in the way of," She paused. "I love him," she whispered finally. "He'll be here."

David raised his hands and backed away; there was no talking to the girl and in retrospect, he thought perhaps this was best. Either this Doctor'll show up and they'll be reunited or he wont and perhaps once and for all Rose could move on.

So, he left a cup of tea and a soft bun on the table next to her, shrugged and left for work.

~~~3

It was mid afternoon when the heat burned into her mind again. This time the pressure behind the message was so utterly intense, Rose felt as if her entire body had been set aflame. She was half dozing when it happened, fresh out of the shower, hair drying in the braids she'd tied it into. She was curled up in her chair, fingers hidden in the sleeves of her old sweatshirt, toes bare under the cuffs of her jeans when the sensation of him inside her mind drove her to her feet.

Mindless of the cool air, she flung open her front door and flew down her driveway, her entire body attuned to the sound of the TARDIS that she was certain would appear at any moment. She held her breath, listening with every nerve in her body, swearing she could feel him and his frustration at not having found her. A manic giggle passed her lips as a jogger flashed her a glance that had "lunatic" written all over it.

"I'm here," she whispered into the atmosphere. "I'm waiting!"

The only sounds that greeted her were the passing vehicles on the road, ignored by the young blonde as she stared up into the sky. Even the pile of broken metal that crept down her street, savaged by some kind of accident, didn't draw her attention. As the vehicle drew closer, the burn flooded her, turning her cheeks pink, her heart racing. She spun in place, checking every visible corner for any sign of the blue box she loved so much, ignoring the car as it came to a stop in front of her driveway and gave a final gasping chug before dying with grace. She paid no attention to the driver's door opening. Never even cast a glance at the man who stepped out from behind the wheel.

"Shame this isn't Earth. Detroit always built brilliant cars, could hit a wall and barely stop. It's all plastic now, spin the wheel the wrong way and that's it. Lucky I wasn't hurt, really. Lucky I wasn't killed. Should probably think about suing, but I'm not sure what the law is like when you don't have a license. Besides, made it here okay, I suppose, no worse for wear. Have to figure out how to get back now. The TARDIS is a two day drive across this bloody continent, and y'know they drive on the right hand side of the road here? Very confusing for travellers. That's how this poor thing ended up like this. They should standardize that, don't you think?"

She couldn't help herself; at the sound of his familiar voice, she'd turned, her jaw half agape as she watched him come around the car to face her. Same dark hair, same dark eyes, same brown suit, same old brown coat. Confusion melted away into shock, shock into concern, concern morphed into anger, anger to happiness, happiness to disbelief. "You're here," she whispered, heart pounding, head light, uncertainty flashing in her dark eyes.

"I'm here. Told you I would be, in a car even." he spoke gently now, concern etched in every feature before he blinked and frowned. "Well, not about the car, I suppose. Didn't really think you needed details, figured you'd get the point anyway. And you did! You're here waiting outside. That's a good thing, too; was really wondering how I was going to figure out what house you were living in."

"You're really alive?"

"No thanks to my driving skills, but yep, same old me, alive as ever." He grinned. "You're a hard woman to track down, Rose Tyler. Went back to the Sanctuary Base and everyone had left, had no place to drop off Ida Scott and no idea where you'd gone off to. Would've thought such a little ship would've got trapped in the pull of the black hole, but nope, zoom, you were gone and I was alone. Marvellous craftsmanship that shuttle. Must've been made in Detroit."

Rose gaped at him, still unable to believe her eyes… it had been so long.

"C'mon, Rose, don't look at me like that. It's not like I wasn't looking for you. I took one little side trip, 'cause Ida wanted to see Barcelona before I dropped her back home and then I came looking for you. Straight away. Promise."

Rose cleared her throat, carefully choosing her words. "Doctor, it's been more than a year. I got a flat, working in a shop now. I didn't even know you were alive!" Tears filled her eyes, an unexpected reaction, surprising even her.

Guilt crossed the Doctor's features. "Yeah, figured it'd been a while. Had to have Ida track down Danny and Zach to find out where they'd left you. That took a couple of months; Danny went out on another contract and was very hard to find. Once I spoke with him, finding this planet wasn't an issue, but finding a single human on the planet was not easy. I had to narrow down potential locations and manually search them all." he shrugged apologetically, "And I may have missed my landing by a little bit."

A ghost of a smile broke across Rose's features. "How much is a little bit?"

He ran his fingers through his hair and lifted an eyebrow. "Oh… a thousand kilometres, give or take." He cleared his throat. "And maybe five or six months."

"Six months?"

He stepped back. "Maybe only five… four? Could'a just been four. Can't be sure, y'know? Months are so short when you really think about it; just poof and there's a new one." He lifted his eyebrow., flashing her his sweetest please don't beat me puppy dog expression. "C'mon, Rose… poof?"

She frowned, "Not so poof when you're stuck here on the slow path, alone."

He leaned back against the wreck of a vehicle uncertainly, his dark eyes deeply distressed as he watched his young blonde companion struggle against the anger and sadness that surprised her in his presence. She found herself drawn into his gaze, worlds of misery swimming in his chocolate eyes as he met her stare with unfaltering strength. I tried, he told her without words. I never gave up. A bit of terror peeked into his expression, letting her know she wasn't the only one lost and afraid while they'd been apart.

He held his hand out to her, hoping that the warmth he could see spreading across her cheeks would reach her heart. When she stepped forward, her hand reaching instinctively for his, he grinned his perfect lopsided grin. I love you, was his silent response.

She knew. She always knew. She knew from the moment he'd come back for her in the alley behind her mum's that they were meant for each other. She knew even as she cleared the twelve feet between them that they'd never go back to who they'd been before this separation. She knew the second their fingers touched she'd never be that little girl waiting on a Time Lord again. She knew, even as she paused to squeeze his hand warmly, smiling up at him, watching him relax until she pulled her fingers back and his face fell, that she was Rose Tyler, twenty-one years old, from London, England, Earth and standing in front of her now, no matter how long it had been, was her Time Lord, the Doctor, the one creature in this universe made specifically for her.

He barely had time to register the loss of her hand in his. He barely had time to register that her fingers had found their way to his tousled, dishevelled hair and were pulling his head to hers. Time moved so quickly that he wasn't able to muster any sort of fight as she crushed her lips to his, the force of her body connecting with his so strong that the handle on the car door dug deep into his bum and yet he found he just didn't care.

He didn't care about the eight hundred and eighty six year age gap between them. He didn't care about the rules of mingling with a lesser species. He didn't care about the outraged gasp of the jogger circling back to her flat, the wolf whistle coming from a passing car or the harrumph from an older gentleman taking his dog for an evening stroll.

In that specific moment the only thing that mattered to the Doctor (more than staying upright that is) was Rose's lips on his own, her sweet breath mingling with his, her soft body pressed firmly against his length and his own hands which managed to work their way under her braids, leaving the girl with no way to escape.

Only when he realized they'd not drawn air in some time, that his hearts were missing every other beat, and that his knees were weak, did he draw back, watching as the young human gasped for air, every inch of visible skin warm and pink. He kept his fingers entwined in her hair, only freeing his thumbs to gently stroke her temples, offering the action as a vestige of calm.

He leaned back, grinning down at her, dark eyes dancing wildly with a pleasure that mirrored her own.

"Hello," he whispered, offering her a saucy wink.

"Yeah," she whispered back, "Hi," before she tightened her fingers in his hair and pulled him to her lips once more.

Neither noticed David return home from work, even as he pulled his vehicle around the Doctor's wreck and into the driveway. Neither responded to his wry grin and casual, "Hey, Rose. This the Doctor, then? Well, I'm David, pleasure to meet you. When you're through swallowing my roommate, feel free to come in and get acquainted." Neither even paused to look ashamed as the man laughed at them and disappeared into the flat.

When they broke apart for air a few minutes later, the Doctor grinned at her and lifted an eyebrow. "New boyfriend?"

Rose shrugged, wrapping herself into the Doctor's embrace. "Well, y'know how much I like the pretty boys." She giggled. "Besides, how was I supposed to amuse myself for a whole year without any toys?"

He frowned, an single finger stroking her temple as her cheek rested against his chest. "Don't think I like that thought at all."

She shrugged, still grinning. "Did you and Ida have fun on Barcelona, then?"

His frown deepened, "Rose, it wasn't like that, and I'll have you know, no, I didn't have fun, I spent the entire time thinking of finding you."

Her grin grew into an honest to God smile and she lifted her chin to press a feather light kiss to the Time Lord's jaw. "Good. What'd'ya say we go 'round Mum's for a mo and then you 'n me can go to Barcelona and make some new memories?" She paused. "If you haven't managed to offend the entire planet while I've been stuck here."

The Doctor grinned down at rose in his arms and held her tight against him for just a moment. "Nope, haven't offended anyone. That I'm aware of, anyway. Definitely should go around Jackie's or we may offend her, though. Definitely should go to Barcelona, I just can't believe I've never managed to take you there. You'll love it, dogs with no noses! You'll be trying to bring a puppy home the first night we're there."

"But, Doctor?"

He blinked at her in confusion. "But what?"

Rose shook her head, giggling. "When you started talking you were about to say go 'round Mum's and Barcelona, but….?"

A wicked grin crossed his features and he entwined his fingers back into Rose's hair. "But that can wait a bit. I have other plans for tonight."

The kiss dropped on her lips stole her breath away; gone was the over powering urgency of the hour before, now a gentleness took its place that stalled all three hearts involved. Rose decided immediately that she never wanted to leave that exact moment. His lips moved softly across hers, his tongue darting out and drinking her in, stealing away every conscious thought she had beyond the Time Lord in her arms.

The Doctor had huge plans for this new future unfolding - yes, Jackie and Barcelona, but so much more as well. Soon, he'd break away from this kiss, soon he'd lead her back to their home on the TARDIS, and soon they'd carry on their lives, the same but just this little bit different, this great load better. So many things to do that would involve his pulling his lips from Rose's, and in that moment the Doctor understood what was the best part about being a Time Lord - it wasn't the cool ship, it wasn't the females that fell at his feet, it wasn't the knowledge or the power that he harnessed on any given day.

The best part about being a Time Lord was the ability to travel in time 'cause some moments were just too perfect to rush.

~~~Fin


End file.
